Thread holder and tensioner



E. C. MATSON.

THREAD HOLDER AND TENSIONER. APPLICATION FILED JAN-19. I920. RENEWED APR. 26.1921.

1,398,877. Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

EDGAR c. MATSON, or AIvnLnY'; wns'r VIRGINIA, 'ASSIGN'OR OFONE-HALF fro J. A. B.

HOLT, or raA'rr, WEST VIRGINIA.

THREAD HOLDER AND TENSIONER.

teasers.

Application filed January s, 1920, Serial No. 352,374. Renewed April 26, 1921.

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, EDG R C. MArsoN,a citizen of the United States, residing at Handley, in the county of Kanawha and State of lVest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread Holders and Tensioners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to thread holders and tensioners. 1

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved sewing-machine element for holding and controlling different sizes, colors and kinds of thread.

Another object is to provide an improved tension device which is adjustable for interchangeably receiving threads of different sizes without changing its tensioning effect on the threads.

Another object is to provide an improved sewing-machine attachment which may be quickly'and easily attached to an ordinary sewing-machine, and which provides an improved take-up in connectionwith my improved plural thread tensioner.

Other objects and advantages will be specifically pointed out or implied in the following details of description inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved attachment applied to a sewingniachine, only a fragmental portion of the sewing-machine being illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my sewing machine attachment detached from the sewing-machine. V

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 1 is a sectional view along the line ll of Fig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of" my improved take-up springdetached.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which s'imllar reference characters corre spond with similar parts throughout the several views, and in which the usualsewing-machine head 1 and spool-post 2 are illustrated merely for the purpose ofshowine the application ofmy invention, the in vention consists in the details ssccnstruc Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921..

semi u 464,536.

tion and arrangement which is specifically described in detail as follows:

A base plate 3 is. provided with spring clips 4: which may be engaged with the head 1 of the machine for holding the device on the machine-head, and it will be seen that the device may be quickly and easily raised out of engagement with the machine-head when it is desired to use only a single spool of thread on the postEZ, in the ordinary way.-

An upright plate or standard 5 is secured on and extends up from thebase plate 3,

and a shaft or stud 6 extends through an,

The shaft 6 aperture 7 in the member 5. is preferably rectangular or non-cylindrical in cross-section from its head to itsscrewthreaded end portion, and a, nut 8 isin threaded engagement with the shaft 6. This nut may be termed a universal adjusting nut, for a reason which will become apparent in the course of the following descrip tion. 7

On the square portion of the shaft 6 is mounted a sleeve 9 which issquare or rectangular in cross-section, so that it is nonrotatable on the shaft 6, but slidable longitudinally of this shaft. Universal tensioning springs 10 and 11 are mounted at opposite ends of the sleeve 9, and the spring 10 bears against a plate 12 which is united with the sleeve and constitutes a thread-tensioning jaw (as indicated at 13) and an arcuate thre'adsize scale, as indicated at 1 1. It will be seen that the numerals 10, 50, 60, etc,

indicate the standard sizes of spooled cotton thread, while the letters A, B, C, etc,

correspond with the standard sizes of spooled silk thread. This scale 14 coacts .with an index or arm 15 for changing the tension of the springs 10 and 11 with relation to an adjustable thread-clamping jaw 16 and the plate 12, and such adjustment is effected through the'medium of an adjusting nut 17, and an externally threaded sleeve 18, the latter being provided with a noncylindrical central aperture which conforms to the outer periphery of the sleeve 9, this member '18 being seated on the sleeve 9 and movable therealong. The nut 17 is preferably provided with a felt washer 19 which may be secured to this adjusting nut by any appropriate means, and is fact a part of nut 17;

In a device of this character which is constructed for tensioning only one thread 13, the shaft 6 may be shorter, so that one arm of the spring 11 may bear directly against the member 18, or any appropriate intermediate member or members may be interposed between the spring 11 and member 18 so that the latter is pressed by the spring toward the member 12 and thereby coacts with the nut 17 for tensioning the thread 13, and the mechanism which is hereinafter described may be considered an intermediate means to coact with the spring 11 -for causing the member 18 to press the nut 17 against the adjustable jaw 16. However, where several threads are to be tensioned, the elements 12 and 1 1 to 19 are supplemented by similar elements; that is, the sleeve 9 is supplemented by a somewhat similar sleeve 20, this latter sleeve being mounted on the sleeve 9 and slidable therealong, and a third sleeve 21 may be seated on and movable along the sleeve 20. Moreover, threaded sleeve may be supplemented by somewhat similar threaded sleeves 22 and 23, these sleeves be ing mounted on and slidahlc alon the sleeves and 21 respectively. -idjustin nuts 24: and 25 are in screw-threaded engageother,

constitute the third pair;

ment respectively with the threaded sleeves 22 and 23, and these nuts carry index arms or indexes 26 and 2? which are somewhat similar to the index 15. 1 Furthermore, the plate 12 is supplemented by somewhat similar plates 28 and 29, and adjustable clamping jaws 30 and 31 supplement the somewhat similar clamping aws 16. 1

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the sleeves 9. 20 and 21 are telescopically arranged with relation to one anand that the members carried by these respective sleeves mutually cooperate with the springs 10 and 11 for pressing the aws of each pair toward one another and also for pressing the pairs of jaws toward one another. It should be understood, in this connection, that the plates 12 and 16 constitute onepair of jaws, the plates 28 and 30 constitute another pair, and the plates 29 and 31 and it should also be understood that one or of each pair may be provided with any appropriate means for retaining the thread between the jaws in the event such means is found necessary under varying conditions.

A plurality of spool-posts 32 may be se-' curedto and extend up from the base plate "*3,'and' spools carrying various sizes and colors of cotton, silk or linen thread, or onev spool of each of these materials, if

may be placed. thereon, so that substantially 7 anyjdesired combination of the several desirable,

Q threads may be led to and threadedthrough a smgle needle, or through a plurality of needles carried by the same needle-bar'and power both of the jaws coactingwith a single shuttle, The purpose and advantage of, thus combining various threads will be fully appreciated by persons accustomed to fancy stitching, embroidering, and producing ornaments on fabric by means of a sewing-machine.

For the purpose of providing a convenient thread guide and take-up in connection with this improved tensioning device a single strand of spring wire maybe formed into the device illustrated in perspective in Fig. 5, and generally indicated by the reference character 33 in this figure and in Figs. 1 and 2. The plate 3 is apertured at 34: for the reception of the ends 35 of the member 33, and any appropriate means may be employed for securing these ends in the apertures 34. The.

39 connect two of the arms with the anchor-- ing, portions 35.

ranged intriangular relation to one another and the outer threads pass throughthe eyes 37 and hence to the eye 36, while the inner The eyes 36 and 37 are arthread passes directly from the tensioning device to the eye 36, or in other words, all of the threads pass through the eye 36 and are thereby brought into parallel and close relation to one another so as to subsantially form a unitary thread of different colors or.

materials. j

It is believed the operation of this device will be understood by any person who has read the foregoing description in connection with the drawings, especially Fig. 3, as this-- figure shows how thespring 11 transmits its successively through the sleeve 23, nut 25, jaw 31, plate 29, sleeve 22, nut 24, jaw 30, plate 28, sleeve 18, nut 17, and jaw 16 to the thread 13. It should be understood, however, that the threads 13 and 13 also coact with the jaws which engage them, in thus transmitting the power of the spring 11 to the thread 13; also, that to change from one sizeto the next size of cotton orsilk thread,

all three of the arms 15, 26 and 27 should be moved to corresponding thread-size numbers,

and that either of these arms maybe changed independently of the others for making slight variations'of tension between all the.

pairs of jaws.

g It should be understood that either spring 10 or 11 may be used exclusiveof the other, that is, that the-device would be operative if for either one of these springs, and the sina non-yielding abutment were substituted,

threads; but two springs are preferable, as they provide a greater range of resiliency without reducing the power of either spring;

one another and thereby press the jaws of each pair toward one another, and a universal adjusting member operable to simultaneously change the tension of these pairs of jaws from one uniform tension to a different uniform tension.

2. In a thread tensioner, aplate constituting a combinedthread-clamping jaw and thread-size scale, an adjustably mounted threadclamping jaw in position to coact with said plate in clamping different sized threads, an adjusting nut mounted to bear against said adjustably mounted jaw, means including a spring for coacting with said nut to yieldingly press said adjustably mounted jaw toward said plate, and an index arm to turn said nut and to register with said scale for indicating the sizes of threads to be tensioned. I

3; In a thread tensioner, a shaft, a sleeve mounted on and adjustable along said shaft, a thread-clamping aw fixed to and extending radially from said sleeve, an adjustable thread-clamping aw mounted on said sleeve and movable toward the first said threadclamping jaw, an externally threaded sleeve mounted on and slidable axially of the first said sleeve, a nut in screw-threaded engage ment with said sleeve, means including a spring to yieldingly press said nut against said adjustable jaw, an arcuate thread-size scale on the first said jaw, and an index on and extending radially of said scale for indicating the sizes of threads to be tensioned.

4. In a thread holding and tensioning attachment for sewing-machines, a plate attachable to the heads of sewing-machines and having a vplurality of spool-posts see cured thereon, a pair of clamping jaws for each of said spool-posts, a tensioning spring common to all of the pairs of clamping jaws V and being cooperative with these jaws for equallytensioningthe threads from spools on said spool-posts, and means to change the tensioning effect of said spring.

5. In a thread holding and controlling attachment for sewing-machines, a plate attachable to the heads of the sewing-machines, and' having a spool-post secured thereon, a thread tensioning device secured -to said plate, and a thread take-up secured to said plate.

6. In a thread holding and tensioning attachment for sewing machines, a plate at-v tachable to the heads of sewing machines and having a plurality of spool-posts secured thereon, a plurality of spaced thread tensioners for the threads from spools on said spool-posts, and a spring wire member formed with a number of eyes equal to the number of spool-posts, said thread tensioners being secured to said plate, said wire men ber having wire-ends secured to said plate and having its loops free to swing up and down and being positioned to guide and con centrate the threads, said spring wire member also constituting a take-up for the threads. g

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y EDGAR C. MATSON. 

